Mark Lanegan Band: Blues Funeral – review

Ex-Screaming Trees vocalist Lanegan has collaborated with the likes of Isobel Campbell, Greg Dulli and Soulsavers in recent years. But he appears to have been hoarding his best material for his first solo album since 2004's Bubblegum, because Blues Funeral has quality to spare, from the bruising rock of "Riot in My House" to the brooding blues of "Bleeding Muddy Water". "Quiver Syndrome", meanwhile, fuses Xtrmntr-era Primal Scream with the Dandy Warhols' "Bohemian Like You" to fine effect, and the combination of Lanegan's inimitable baritone and the guitar sound of early U2 on "Harborview Hospital" is enough to send shivers down spines. Masterful.